Poland's ruling nationalists appear on track to win October's parliamentary vote, three opinion polls show, despite a scandal over the private use of government aircraft by the party's speaker of parliament who was forced to resign.

Poland's parliament speaker said on Thursday (8 August) he would resign after it was revealed that he used government aircraft for private trips, suggesting the ruling nationalists aimed to defuse a scandal that could affect their re-election campaign.

The Polish president's office confirmed on Tuesday (6 August) that the country will hold its parliamentary election on 13 October, which most pollsters expect the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party to win thanks to generous social spending and robust economic growth.

Europe's conservative group (ECR) insisted on presenting former Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło as its candidate for the chair of the European Parliament's social affairs committee on Monday (15 July). But she was voted down again by her peers.

Poland's national-conservative ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) came narrowly ahead of the centrist European Coalition in Sunday's European Parliament vote seen as a test before the parliamentary elections later this year.

The cynicism of was undeniable. Just as the Commission announced it was taking the second step in an infringement procedure against Poland over the reform of its justice system, legal experts associated with the PiS government announced that the country could still demand reparations from Germany for its occupation during World War Two.